With new, ever-evolving cybersecurity threats and increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks on the rise, keeping sensitive data and IT assets safe and secure has become a constant challenge.
Cybercriminals are steadily coming up with new cunning schemes to profit from someone else's downfall, forcing companies and individuals to catch up with security solutions capable of withstanding these attacks.
This is where a software-defined perimeter (SDP) comes into the picture.
An SDP is an approach to cybersecurity that enforces the zero-trust (opens in new tab) policy by applying user authentication and identity verification before allowing access to an organization's networks, apps and data included. Through micro-management of network access, SDP is basically casting an invisibility spell on their servers and other infrastructure to conceal it from the outside. However, authorized users will be allowed to see and access it.
So, if you want to start building your zero-trust architecture with an SDP solution, here are some providers worth considering in 2022.
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1. Perimeter 81
Replace the legacy VPN with a scalable, “state-of-the-art”, cloud-based security solution that’s simple to set up even for organizations with complex cloud networks, lots of remote users, and changeable access policy.
Perimeter 81 currently offers four different-sized plans, the most budget-friendly of which starts at $8.00 per month (per user) and $40.00 per month (per gateway) and includes a whole array of features including network visibility, hybrid security, and zero-trust policy-based segmentation, as well as complete integration with all major cloud providers.
Also, all plans come with an easy-to-use central dashboard, activity reports and analytics, beginner-friendly apps, plenty of add-ons, and superb customer support to back you up when needed.
Since all of Perimeter 81’s SDP solutions are “commitment-free” and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, feel free to try them out with no strings attached.
2. InstaSafe
Founded in 2012, InstaSafe is one of the pioneers of the SDP industry and has a great deal of experience in making the internet a safer place by wiping out gaps in traditional security tools.
To make it simple, InstaSafe offers a one-and-only, scale-out platform with a single service level and one pricing plan that’ll set you back for $8.00 per month (per user) or $35 per month (per gateway). However, if you subscribe for three years, you can have 20% off your price tag.
Some of its core features include policy-based segmentation, secure app access, browser isolation, multi-cloud peering, site-to-site interconnectivity, integration with SIEMs, geofencing, AES 128 encryption, real-time threat monitoring, and 24/7 technical support.
3. Twingate
Much like other entries on this list, Twingate makes zero-trust network access swift and simple for all end-users, even those without a single tech-savvy bone in their body. They only need to download and install the client app and authenticate with the current identity provider, and they’re ready to roll.
Instead of IP addresses, Twingate verifies its users via their identity to determine rights to network access, which is the smartest way to ensure the right person is behind a device.
With Twingate you can apply two-factor authentication (2FA) for anything, add RDP, SSH, and similar services, and also integrate your SDP with identity providers (like Google Workspace, Okta, and OneLogin) to smoothly onboard and off-board users.
What’s more, you can use Twingate completely free of charge for up to 5 users, and if you want more, you can try out any of their plans with a 14-day trial before making a decisive decision.
The cheapest plan costs $5.00 per month and supports up to 50 users with 2 devices per person and up to 5 remote networks in total, which makes it best suited for small teams.
4. NetMotion
This SDP solution is part of the NetMotion platform which combines it with digital experience monitoring (DEM) and enterprise-level VPN hosting service to provide organizations with all the necessary tools to protect their data and IT assets.
It can be installed on-premise or in the cloud (whether public, private or hybrid) to ensure the maximum level of security. Some of its core features and capabilities include an intuitive, centralized console, optimized tunnel, dynamic web filtering, real-time risk assessments, and certified encryption standards.
While the pricing isn’t available on NetMotion’s official site, you can sign up for a demo and get a quote, but keep in mind that this SDP solution is geared towards enterprise environments.
5. Appgate
Created with high availability in mind, Appgate’s SDP solution can be installed in physical, cloud, or virtual environments. It can also be integrated with tons of third-party apps including threat intelligence platforms (TIPs), identity platforms, endpoint (opens in new tab) security solutions, various web security tools, and more.
Appgate SDP’s key features include an identity-centric approach, concurrent access, clocked infrastructure, dynamic policy resolution, and a bi-directional API interface to help with third-party integrations.
Although Appgate’s pricing details aren’t available on the official site, users have an option to “talk to an expert” and find a bit more about everything, pricing included.
6. Cloudflare Zero Trust
Cloudflare’s Zero Trust promises to provide strong security, powerful performance, and high reliability - all in one package with its newest security solution. It’ll also give you complete and consistent controls across all on-premises, cloud-based, and SaaS apps.
Zero Trust integrates with plenty of identity providers and protects all your apps with posture, identity (opens in new tab), and context-driven checks. And if you wish to sneak a peek into your employee activities (or perform an audit) inside your apps, you can do it without any difficulty.
Cloudflare’s pricing plans start with the same core set of security features including zero-trust network access (ZTNA), private IP address routing, firewall (opens in new tab) as a service (FWaaS), cloud access security broker (CASB), secure web gateway (SWG), HTTPS inspection, and DNS filtering.
This feature-rich platform can be yours for free (for up to 50 users, 3 network locations, and 24 hours of activity logging) or you can pay $7.00 per month to power up your plan.
7. Cisco Software-Defined Access
Based in the USA, Cisco has kept its leadership position in the IT industry for years through adaptability, diversity, and innovation. Cisco’s software-defined access (SDA) is one of its latest sparks of innovation and allows organizations to unite users, applications, and devices and enforce proper policies for each of them while bulletproofing their networks.
While this solution is reasonably simple to use, it’s targeted at medium and big businesses looking for a way to safeguard their data and IT assets. There are no pre-made SDA packages, meaning you can shape your own solution depending on security problems you’re trying to solve and your overall business needs.
While Cisco offers no free trial, you can sign up for webinars and demos to find out more about their solutions.
8. ZoneZero
ZoneZero’s SDP solution empowers organizations to implement identity-based security and perform per-application secondary multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all their users including network, VPN, and remote access users. In addition to this, you can also include a secondary MFA to any app, such as proprietary software, legacy apps, databases, file shares, and transfers.
Like with Cisco, there are no pre-made SDP plans, but you are invited to book a demo and find the right solution for your business.
With ZoneZero’s SDP you can expect to get all the essentials in one package, such as true separation of the data and control planes, application-level policies for all users, identity-based segmentation inside your network, MFA for pretty much anything, utilization of Safe-T's reverse-access technology, and more.
All of it should be deployed swiftly and seamlessly controlled from a single management dashboard.
9. Verizon
This high-performance zero-trust solution can protect your IT systems from network-based attacks resulting from unauthorized users and devices. Its zero-trust approach is applied through internal network segmentation, cloud-based apps, and remote access control.
Verizon’s SDP enables continuous, real-time visibility into all protected apps, as well as their users, and the devices they’re using to access them, giving you an insight into the inner workings of your networks. Its MFA is “always-on”, protecting your network from credential-based attacks (such as pass-the-hash) and creating TLS tunnels to avert man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.
It’s also a surprisingly simple service you can install for yourself and obtain total transparency of your networks. However, to get the pricing and start with Verizon, you’ll have to call sales staff or request a callback.
10. Zscaler
Founded over a decade ago, Zscaler is a US-based cloud security company created to enable their enterprise-level customers to secure their employees, apps, and data at the time when infrastructure is moving to the cloud and more and more employees are working
remotely. Keeping up with the technology trends, Zscaler released its own SDP solution that combines strong security and a satisfying user experience while making all your systems and apps invisible to unauthorized users and safeguarding your sensitive data.
Zscaler is simple to set up and control yet it offers superb scalability, high availability, and near-perfect protection.
If you want to check out how Zscaler closes security gaps for yourself, you can request a demo and perhaps even take a free ride.
Pick up an SDP and get started with zero-trust security
With so many SDP solutions out there, choosing the right one for your business can be tricky. However, since most SDP providers offer some sort of free trial (or a demo at least) you can check out how any of these solutions work for you without being wasteful with your budget.
- You might also want to check out the best business VPN (opens in new tab)
